FURTHER details have emerged of a Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) investigation into three Sydney pharmacy proprietors penalised for underpaying a staff member by more than $62,000 (PD 14 Feb).
A statement issued this morning details the case against Nader Bastawrose, Amgad Samaan and Ashraf Youssef, who operate four pharmacies under the Save and Deliver brand.
The trio were each fined $15,000 for underpaying staff at Mt Druitt, Liverpool and Shellharbour, while pay slip and record-keeping laws were also contravened.
The underpayments occurred despite the FWO having previously put the partners on notice to pay minimum rates, after investigating three prior allegations - and the staff were only repaid after the Ombudsman initiated legal action.
The largest underpayment was for an Egyptian migrant with limited English who was paid $12-$14 per hour - versus statutory rates of between $16 and $43.
The Ombudsman is making an example of the pharmacists, saying cases where business operators continue to underpay workers even after being put on notice are treated extremely seriously.
"Such a blatant disregard for the rights and entitlements of workers cannot be tolerated...cases such as this one should drive home the point to employers that lawful minimum rates apply to all employees in Australia and are not negotiable," the statement warned.
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